Renewable Heat Incentive – too good to be true?

Some of us may soon be able to get paid for going green by reduce your carbon footprint and your energy bills. The Government-backed Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, due to be introduced this year, is intended to enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements to their homes, at no upfront cost, and recoup payments through a charge in installments on energy bills.

The RHI promises to reduce your carbon footprint, reduce your energy bills and become more self-sufficient in energy, all while earning some extra income. It sounds too good to be true, but will it soon be worth your while to produce renewable heat?

The wrinkles are still be worked out, so absolute details are rather sketchy – The RHI was originally expected to be introduced in April this year, but Greg Barker, Climate Change Minister has subsequently delayed it until June – but the theory is that you’ll get paid a fixed income for every kilowatt hour of heat you produce and if you are lucky enough to be connected to a heat network, you may get an additional payment for ‘exporting’ surplus heat.

Of course, the drawbacks could be many too. Unless renewable systems are on offer, you will likely have to consign your old oil-fired, gas or coal boiler to the scrap heap in your dream to wave goodbye to fuel bills.

Some are already worrying about the danger of ‘solar cowboys’ too – salesmen doorstepping unwitting householders and promising the earth. It remains to be seen how the RHI will regulate ‘private firms’.